An Eye on Crime
With an average of only four sheriff’s deputies on the road at one time to cover 922 square miles, who better to turn to for help than the people in the area? That’s just what Sheriff Phil Ryan of Wise County in north Texas did.
He devised a plan to enlist the help of everyday citizens and the companies they work for in a countywide “Wise Eyes” Crime Watch Program.
Devon was one of the first major corporations to jump on board the program. The company’s involvement in the program serves as one of its many community outreach efforts in the areas where Devon has operations.
“The Wise Eyes program is certainly a valuable tool for deterring crime in the community and is a safety measure that fits with Devon’s Environmental, Health and Safety Philosophy,” said David Templet, EHS manager.
Through Wise Eyes, the sheriff’s department provides training to enable employees of local companies such as Devon, neighborhood watch groups and registered individuals to become more aware of their surroundings and report suspicious vehicles and activities.
Now Devon provides the training materials, incident report forms and bumper stickers to heighten local awareness. In addition, Devon employees whose jobs call for them to spend hours each day traveling county roads were the first to receive the training.
The goal of Wise Eyes is to ensure a quicker response to crimes in rural settings. Officials in Wise County said the sheriff’s department has seen a significant increase in the calls for suspicious activity after implementing the crime watch program.